So for the Eagles, it didn't matter that they twice came away empty despite having first downs inside Washington's 5-yard line. Or that Washington was down to its third-string quarterback in Mark Sanchez, who wasn't on an NFL roster as of three weeks ago and hadn't played since the 2016 season.

All that mattered was that the Eagles beat the Washington Redskins, which they eventually did, 28-13, on Monday night, thus keeping their playoff hopes alive for another week.

The Eagles (6-6) will play the Cowboys in Dallas (7-5) next Sunday. If they win, they'll be tied for first place in the NFC East. If they lose, they'll be two back with three games to play, with Dallas holding the tiebreaker.

"The thing is just finishing in the red zone," said wide receiver Jordan Matthews, whose 4-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles a nine-point lead. "That’s all of us. We can’t, because we won, overlook that. We’re playing a great defense coming up (in the Cowboys), and you’ve gotta take every point you can.

"We can definitely win better."

For now, the Eagles were encouraged by a mostly strong and balanced offensive performance in which Carson Wentz completed 27 of 39 passes for 306 yards, while Josh Adams had a career-high 85 yards on 20 carries. He broke his previous high of 84 yards set last week.

Wide receiver Golden Tate also had his best game since the Eagles traded for him on Oct. 30 as he finished with seven catches for 85 yards and his first TD as an Eagle. Tight end Zach Ertz, with nine catches for 83 yards, broke Brian Westbrook's single-season reception record. Westbrook had 90 receptions in 2007. Ertz has 93 with four games remaining.

"The big thing for me tonight was the win," Ertz said. "That was the most important thing."

And Darren Sproles, who returned after missing 10 games with a hamstring injury, had a14-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left in the first half.. That put the Eagles in front 14-10, and they never relinquished the lead.

It was one of the Eagles' best games offensively of the season as they had 436 total yards.

"I think we’re playing well together," Wentz said. "We’re meshing together. Kind of doing what we do best, running the ball, kind of relying on the big guys up front … Trying to stay on the field on third downs. We gotta clean up some things in the red zone, for sure. We left some plays out there, no doubt."

Wentz was referring to his interception in the third quarter when the Eagles had a 1st-and-goal from the 5, the Eagles holding a 14-13 lead. He was trying to hit Alshon Jeffery on a slant in the end zone. But Jeffery was double covered and Josh Norman picked it off.

By then, Washington was on its third-string QB in Sanchez, and there wasn't much he could do. That's because Colt McCoy, in his second start since starter Alex Smith broke his leg Nov. 18, suffered the same injury early in the second quarter, ending his season.

CLOSE

Martin Frank and Kevin Tresolini preview the Eagles must win game against the Redskins from the Linc.
Delaware News Journal

Yet on Sanchez's first play, he handed the ball off to Adrian Peterson, who ran 90 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest run allowed by the Eagles in team history, surpassing the previous high of 87 by Pittsburgh's John Henry Johnson in 1960.

But the Eagles shut Washington down from there as the Redskins had just 36 yards in the second half, and didn't score.

After Matthews' touchdown, Nate Gerry intercepted Sanchez, giving the Eagles the ball at Washington's 35. The Eagles got a field goal out of that drive, and then another with 4:48 left to put the game away.

It was just in time for the Eagles, who put together their first winning streak of the season.

"At this point in the season, it’s all we have," safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "We understand the urgency of right now. We’ll take the same approach next week, knowing that it’s a huge division matchup on the road, with huge implications as far as the division goes."

Sproles' long-awaited return

There was nothing but admiration by Darren Sproles' teammates after he returned from a hamstring injury that kept him for 10 games. Sproles, who tore his ACL in Week 3 last season, was playing in only his fifth game since the start of the 2017 season.

Sproles made the most of it. He had four carries for 22 yards, including the 14-yard TD that put the Eagles in front for good late in the first half. He also returned three punts for 19 yards.

"It actually felt great," Sproles said. "Once I got my first hit, that’s when all the jitters went away."

Added Ertz: "He's been through the gamut the past 11 weeks trying to get right ... He could have easily called it quits and said, 'Man, maybe this just isn't for me anymore.' We need him. He's a dynamic player."

2-point conversion logic

It seemed like a risky proposition when the Eagles decided to go for the two-point conversion after Matthews' touchdown with 14:10 left. Had the Eagles not made it, Washington would have had a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and extra point.

As it was, Tate caught Wentz's pass, and the Eagles had a nine-point lead, forcing Washington to score twice to take the lead.

"Just trust the math and trust to go up two scores," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "That was the right thing to do."

2 cornerbacks return

The Eagles also got two of their injured cornerbacks back Monday night in Sidney Jones, who missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, and Rasul Douglas, who played just two snaps last week after suffering knee and ankle injuries the week before.

But the Eagles lost defensive tackle Tim Jernigan before the game started due to back spasms. Jernigan played for the first time last week after having back surgery during the offseason.

Left tackle Jason Peters left the game late in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury.